The Unknown Message
by IheartItaly
Summary: Zack gets an unknown message and it appears as if someone is after him.


The Unknown Message

Ever had that feeling like you were being watched? Like someone saw everything you did? That's exactly how Zack felt recently. Like someone was watching him. Watching him eat, sleep, even saw what he wrote when he would be the only one in the room. Following him on missions even. But when he'd try to look around, no one would be there. It scared him that he often had sleepless nights. It all began one day in the morning. Zack got the mail and flipped through it. He let out grunts and groans at the electric bill, phone bill, and other housing bills. Some of them were letters of the same thing that was written on the previous letter. He hated those. It was like the company was saying something like, 'oh, and if you don't see this one, we're going to put in another one'. Then he would imagine a sly smile on one of their faces, 'Just to annoy you'. Then he imagined every other freak in the room would join him in laughter. Zack ran his hands through his spiky, dark hair in frustration and he exhaled deeply. But his hand stopped when he reached an unknown letter. It was addressed to him but had no return address. Just his name, his address, and the street code. He was a bit confused. He didn't know who sent it. It was kind of freaky. He then felt someone, or something, watching him. Zack turned his head around like he wasn't expecting anything, like he was turning his head in the direction of a bird chirping a happy melody. He didn't see anybody out of the corners of his eyes. He quickly closed and locked his mail box and walked back into his apartment. He closed the door and let out a huge sigh and locked the door. Zack didn't know why, but he felt...safe...somehow. For now.

He pressed his back to the door and slid down to the ground. He opened the letter with the unknown sender. Most of the page was blank, but there was something written on it. It had eleven words on it:

We know who you are and we know where you live.

Zack felt threatened somehow. Was this some kind of joke? If it was, it was a sick joke. Zack crumbled it up and tossed it in the trash.

"Sickos," he thought out loud. But he couldn't help be feel like he was being watched again. Zack froze. He checked his room, the bathroom, even the attic. But no one was around. He felt a shiver down his spine. He shook the feeling off and walked out of his apartment. At first, Zack didn't want to leave the room. If someone was watching him, he shouldn't even go out of his house. But he did and locked the room. He didn't feel the presents anymore, but he didn't want to stick around.

"Are you sure someones following you?" Kunsel asked Zack in a whisper. They were in the SHINRA library and, like all libraries, they had strict rules about being quiet in the building. Zack nodded.

"Yeah, I got the mail and I felt someone watching me. I didn't see anybody, though. And when I opened the strange letter, there was a message on it," he whispered. Kunsel looked around as if he felt someone was watching them. Then he leaned closer to Zack.

"What did it say?"

"'We know who you are and we know where you live'," Zack told him. Kunsel stared at him, then he snickered.

"You remembered all of that? I'm surprised you even remember a sentence, let alone, a single word," he snickered again. Zack gave him a glare which said 'very funny'. Kunsel smiled.

"Sorry, Buddy. But really. You have a one tracked mind, and without me in your life, you'd be stuck," Kunsel said. He made it sound like he was Zack's miracle or something.

"I'm a little worried about it. It's strange. Too strange," Zack said.

"Sounds like it belongs in the horror category," Kunsel noted.

"Or like a mystery. Something strange is going on and I have a bad feeling."

"That sounds good. 'The mystery of my secret fan' written by Zack Fair. His Experience. Based of a true story," Kunsel smiled.

"I don't think it's a fan. More like a stalker," Zack said, his voice rising into a normal voice. Kunsel waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hello? Someone following you? It's called a fan, Dude," he said in a 'case closed' tone of voice.

"Kunsel, I'm worried!" Zack said in a loud voice. Kunsel and a few other people shushed him. Zack looked away, feeling embarrassed. Kunsel gave the others an apologetic smile. He turned back to Zack.

"If you're that worried about it, I'll keep an eye out for you," he said in a whisper. Zack nodded, feeling a bit relaxed.

"Thanks, Kun," he said. Kunsel smiled and opened his arms out in a shrug.

"That's what friends are for."

"It would be good to have more back up. Could you contact Luxire and let him know what's up?"

"Already noted," Kunsel said holding up his phone that was on silent. Library rules again: No cell phones. Zack gave him a relieved smile.

"Thanks, Kunsel. You're a life saver!" he said in a whisper. Kunsel smiled.

"You're like a brother to me, Zack. I'll always stick to you till the end. Don't like me hanging around? Get used to it," he said. Zack snickered silently. Just like Kunsel to make him smile.

Zack walked back to his apartment but noticed that the door was open. Zack stopped.

"I don't remember leaving my door open," then he realized that the door was busted down like someone broke in, "I didn't leave my door open." He ran to his apartment and screamed, "SOMEONE's BREACKING INTO MY HOUSE!" It wasn't necessary to scream that loud. Zack felt like hitting himself, because if he stayed quiet, he would have sneak up on the intruder without them realizing. If the intruder was still there. But Zack did see that someone was in his apartment, because he saw a dark figure run out in frantic. Zack grunted his teeth.

"Hey, get back here!" he shouted after the intruder. But the figure was gone. Zack stopped when he lost sight of him and took deep breaths. He waved his hand in a 'forget it' motion and walked back to his apartment.

The door wasn't the only thing that was busted. The entire room looked like a tornado went through it. Zack stared in shock. He took a cautious step in to make sure no one else was still hanging around. He noticed a note on one of the walls. Zack grabbed it and read what was on it:

You have something we want. We won't stop until we find it.

Zack grabbed his pone and called Kunsel.

"Yeah, Kunsel? I have another warning. And-and now I'm sure about it," There was a long silence as he looked around the room, "Someone's after me."

"Maybe it's a fan who wants your sweatband?" Kunsel told Zack who was sitting on the coach, shaking with fear.

"No way! Whoever this person is, they want something from me," Zack said. Kunsel looked down at the note again. He went into a thoughtful mood.

"You have a stalker," he finally said. Zack shook his head.

"I don't think so. It's sounds like they're desperate to find whatever it is they're looking for. They sound like they might kill me if I get in their way," he said.

"Why would they want to kill you? Without you, they won't be able to find whatever it is they're looking for."

"..." Zack didn't know how to answer it. But that left him with another question. Why didn't they kidnap him and make him tell them where the item was? A message bleeped on his phone. Zack took it out and read the message:

Tell no one about me. I can get rid of them.

Zack's hands started to shake. They knew he was with Kunsel? They knew about this conversation? He decided he should listen to this person. Kunsel smiled.

"What's happening on Mognet?"

"Um, it's Areith. She wants to talk to me," Zack lied. Kunsel gave him a 'Ah, I see. You want it to be privet, right?' look.

"I want to talk to her alone," Zack said.

"I can leave the room," Kunsel said. Zack shook his head and looked worried.

"No! I need to talk to her ALONE. I'll call you later," he promised. Kunsel shrugged.

"You don't have to worry about it. She's your girlfriend. I understand the privacy," he said. Zack walked him to the door.

"Thanks, Kun," he said. Kunsel gave him a serious look.

"Don't decide on what to do with the stalker without me, K?" he said. Zack nodded.

"Yeah, sure," he said. Kunsel said goodbye and left his apartment. Zack watched him leave, then he texted back to the stalker:

How do you know about me? Who are you?

For a moment, there was nothing. Then a message popped up:

I know a lot about you. I can't tell you my name. It's TS {Top Secret}. Meet Me at the Forgotten City. Tell no one where you're going. Bring me the item.

Zack didn't know what 'item' they were talking about.

What Item?

Now, Zack. I think you know what item I'm talking about. Remember, tonight. 8:00.

Wait! Come back!

The stranger left and Zack lost the signal.

"Hmm, the Forgotten City. I need a Lunar Harp to pass the forest. He said that I know what item he wants. But what could that item be?" he said to himself. He was lucky to still have a Lunar Harp. He usually used them for Materia Fusion. There was a knock on the door and Zack jumped. Did the stranger find him? He walked slowly to the door. He peeked through the door hole and sighed with relief. He opened the door and saw Cloud.

"Hey, Zack. You've been acting strange lately. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do," he said, his blue eyes reflecting off the sunlight. Zack smiled.

"Thanks, Cloud. But I'm okay," he lied, "I'll be alright. I just need some sleep." Cloud didn't look convinced.

"You sure? You know you can tell me anything, right?" the blond boy said. Zack nodded.

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me," he said. Then he turned his head so Cloud couldn't hear, "yet."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I'll see you later, okay?" Zack said. Cloud looked puzzled, but he nodded.

"Okay. Just let me know if you need anything," he said. He said goodbye and left. Zack closed the door. He wanted to tell his friends, but he didn't want anything to happen to them. If the stranger told him not to tell anyone about it, then that probably meant messages too. He was constantly being watched. Maybe there was cameras hiding in his apartment?

Zack walked to the forest in the Forgotten City. He stood with his arms crossed, waiting for whoever was sending him those messages. The tress glowed in the night. Fireflies flew around him. He didn't come here often, and the sight felt relaxing to him. He felt like he was in a dream. But he knew he couldn't drop his guard. If someone wanted something from him, they could show up at anytime. As Zack scanned the area, he noticed a figure in a dark cloak. Zack glared at him.

"Are you the one who's been sending me the messages?" he said. The stranger said nothing. Zack glared,

"Hey! I'm talking to you! What do you want from me?!" The stranger removed the hood. He had brown hair and green eyes. He smirked at Zack.

"You know what it is I want," he said.

"No I don't! Who are you?!"

"My name is Myrim. Where did you hide the Ancient?" he glared. Zack glared back.

"Myrim? Ancient? Do you mean Arieth?" he asked. Myrim nodded and held out his hand.

"The same. Now, hand her over," he said. Zack didn't like the idea of Myrim wanting Areith.

"What do you want with her?"

"That's my own business. Where is she?" Myrim demanded. Zack started to back away.

"I'm not handing her over to you!"

"Stubborn boy. Fine, I'll tell you why I need her. SHINRA requested her. I have orders to take her back. You will save yourself a lot of trouble if you just hand her over quietly," he told Zack. Zack grunted his teeth.

"I'll never give her to SHINRA!"

"So you deny SHINRA? The very company you serve?" Myrim asked.

"I don't deny anyone! But I won't give her to SHINRA. All they'll do to her is destroy her!" Zack said. Myrim held up his hand and ire began forming.

"Very well. If you won't hand her over, I'll just have to force you to tell me!" he said as he trough the ball of fire at Zack. Zack held up the Buster Sword for a shield. The ball of fire hit The sword and the smoke blinded him for a moment. When Zack could see again, he heard gunfire. He glanced up on a cliff and saw Tseng pointing his gun at Myrim.

"That's enough, Myrim! Hojo sent you, didn't he?" he said. Zack gasped and Myrim grinned.

"Maybe. But he wants the Ancient, not you. I was going to make this kid tell me where she is," he said. Tseng fired the gun and Myrim held his arm in pain as the bullet hit him.

"Tell Hojo that he won't take Areith. Now leave Zack and crawl back into your filthy hole," Tseng said. Myrim glared up at Tseng, then he grinned.

"You know it's your job too, so stop pretending it isn't," he said as he stepped away. He turned to run, but Reno and Rude walked up.

"We're escorting you back, Myrim," Rude said. Reno smiled.

"That's right. So why don't you come along quietly?" he said. Myrim bit his lip and cursed.

As Reno and Rude took Myrim away, Tseng jumped down to meet Zack.

"I'm sorry about this, Zack. I meant to get to him sooner, but I had to wait until he dropped his guard," he said, crossing his arms. Zack stared at him.

"Who is Myrim?"

"He works for SHINRA, but he devotes his life to Hojo. He's a criminal on the run. Luckily, we caught him," he turned to Zack, "with your help, of course."

"He said you were after Areith too. Is that true?" Zack glared, fearing that he would have to turn against the Turks too. Tseng walked away and didn't answer. Zack knew he had to be more careful now. He looked up at the sky. If they were after Areith, he would have to protect her from them. He didn't want to believe that Tseng was after Areith. He was the only one from SHINRA he could trust.

"So it was just a man on the run, huh? At least you stopped him," Kunsel said. He, Luxire, and Zack sat in Zack's apartment the next day.

"Yeah, sorry I had to keep the secret from all of you," Zack said. Luxire smiled.

"Don't worry about it, Zack. You were only trying to protect us," he said. Zack smiled, but he was still worried about what Myrim said about Tseng. Zack decided to wave it off. It probably wasn't true. He got a text message from Cloud:

Hey, Zack. Are you busy?

No. Why?

Could you spar with me this afternoon?

Zack was sure that Cloud was shy about asking this question. Zack agreed to teach Cloud how to wield swords. He smiled.

Sure, but don't think I'll go easy on you.

Thanks, Zack.

Zack smiled around his friends. After that, Zack no longer had anymore strange messages and he was able to relax.

"Yup. With friends like them, how could things change between us?" Zack said to himself. His friends were all he needed.


End file.
